Durbin Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on Chicago's Handgun Laws

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Supreme Court handed down its opinion in McDonald v. City of Chicago, a decision likely to result in the overturning of longstanding handgun laws in Chicago and Oak Park.

“Much will be made of the Supreme Court’s finding today that Americans have the right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they live. But the Court also found that the right to keep and bear arms is not an unlimited right. In fact, the Court’s decision gives local officials, like Chicago’s Mayor Daley, the authority to establish common sense handgun regulations to protect public safety.

“We have an obligation to keep gun laws on the books that are both consistent with the Second Amendment and consistent with our duties to protect our citizens from the deadly effects of gun violence. I will continue to work with Mayor Daley, Governor Quinn and my colleagues in Washington to ensure that governments at all levels pursue reasonable and constitutional policies to regulate gun use and to prevent misuse.”